Of course it's not about snobbery . . .

ACCORDING to T. Kneale (Mailbox, February 24), the "image of (The) Wirral has been tarnished by association. Investment has been lost and people with something to contribute have been discouraged from moving here . . . also, many of our brightest youngsters have been driven away."

It is significant that this correspondent's "advice" is based on "40 years' experience in journalism, publishing and public relations".

After all, most Liverpudlians - and let's be honest, it is Liverpool that is feared most - are only too aware of the damage done by the likes of this journalist!

As for the "right to determine where they belong on the map", I've yet to meet anyone on my travels who has even heard of (The) Wirral. When trying to establish its whereabouts, I find that all know of Liverpool and many are aware of Chester, situated 22 miles away - almost twice the distance between (The) Wirral and Liverpool. It's a safe bet that these "Phobics" would claim to live "near Chester" . . . no, of course it's not about snobbery!

Since the 'L' postcode has had such a devastating effect on Wirral's fortunes, it would appear that the "majority" are now looking forward to some sort of Utopia once the 'CH' is introduced.

If this does materialise, perhaps the "real" Merseysiders will notice a drop in unemployment figures. Judging by the volume of daily traffic between Wirral and Liverpool, an awful lot of Wirralians have been allowing their "local pride" deter them from taking employment from Merseysiders!

Gorse Road,

Meols.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.